Then Jesus said to His disciples: "If anyone wants to be my disciple, he must say 'No' to self, put his cross on his shoulders, and keep on following me.

They forced a certain passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry His cross -- Simon, a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus.

Now as they led Him away, they seized a man named Simon, from Cyrene, as he was coming in from the country, and put the cross on his shoulders, for him to carry as he walked behind Jesus.

Cyrene

of Phrygia and Pamphylia, of Egypt and the district of Libya around Cyrene, transient dwellers from Rome, Jews and proselytes,

But members of the synagogue known as that of the Libyans, Cyreneans, and Alexandrians, and men from Cilicia and Asia, got to debating with Stephen,

But there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who on reaching Antioch began to speak to the Greeks too, and proceeded to tell them the good news about the Lord Jesus.

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who is called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen who was an intimate friend of the governor, and Saul.

General references

and nobody is worthy of me who does not take up his cross and follow me.

Let us, therefore, go to Him outside the camp, enduring the reproach that He endured;